Attorney General

International Criminal Law: Prosecutions

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been tried by domestic courts for international crimes in the last five years.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: His Majesty’s Government does not collate statistics on trials in UK domestic courts for international crimes.

Department for Transport

Dual Carriageways: Safety Measures

Lord Robathan: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of dual carriageways have a hard shoulder of sufficient width to park a vehicle.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Whilst we do not hold that specific information, most all-purpose dual carriageways do not have hard shoulders.

Driving Licences

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people in the UK hold a category H driving licence.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: On 15 April 2023 there were 133,831 holders of full category H (track laying vehicle) driving entitlement.

Roads: South East

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the budget for theA2/M2 Connected Corridor project for 2018–2020 including the cost of (1) consultants, and (2) feasibility studies, both within the budget and including those covered by (i) other budgets, or (ii) EU funding.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The final overall cost, including all feasibility studies, consultancy and contractor costs, was £9.5 million of which £3.5 million was received from the European Union Connecting Europe Facility fund.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of concerns that AI technologies are being introduced prematurely to customers before their potential risks can be fully assessed.

Viscount Camrose: The AI Regulation White Paper, published 29 March 2023 set out a framework for regulating AI that seeks to balance the need to address risk and support innovation.As part of the regulatory framework, the UK is proposing a range of central functions through which the government will monitor known and emerging risks as AI technologies evolve. This will support us in assessing the effectiveness of our framework to address AI risks, and identify gaps in our risk mitigation efforts. For example, we are creating a horizon scanning function and a central risk function which will enable the government and regulators to monitor future risks, including ‘high impact but low probability’ risks such as existential risks, or AI biosecurity risks, in a rigorous, coherent and balanced way.Tools for trustworthy AI - including internationally developed standards, and assurance techniques - will play a central role in the implementation of the framework, especially for those technologies already being introduced to the market. Through AI assurance, businesses and consumers are better able to decide whether a product or service using AI is legitimate and trustworthy. Impact assessments, performance testing and, possibly, pre-release verification or certification against AI standards in the longer term, are a few of the assurance mechanisms that can help organisations innovate responsibly while also determining whether an AI system complies with applicable standards and regulations.The collaborative, adaptable framework outlined in the AI regulation white paper will use the proposed central functions to convene and learn from the expertise of frontier researchers, industry, academics, representatives of the public and other key stakeholders as we continue to develop policy in this evolving area.

Voice Over Internet Protocol: Emergency Services

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, furtherto the resumption by BT of the rollout of Digital Voice, whatassessment they have made of how contact with the emergency services will be guaranteed for residents.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to theresumption by BT of the rollout of Digital Voice, what assessment they have made ofBT's commitment to providing backup battery packs for vulnerable people against power cuts and of the re-charging arrangements for the packs.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, furtherto the resumption by BT of the rollout of Digital Voice, what assessment they have made of the needs of residents without an adequate electricity supply.

Viscount Camrose: The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is privately-owned and the decision to upgrade it has been taken independently by the telecoms industry. However, the government and Ofcom are working together to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the migration to Voice-over-internet Protocol (VoIP).All Communications Providers have obligations under the Communications Act 2003, implemented under Condition A3 of Ofcom’s General Conditions of Entitlement (available on their website), to provide a Public Emergency Call Service for the numbers 999 and 112 in the UK. Ofcom places a regulatory obligation on Communications Providers to take all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency organisations for their customers, and these obligations will continue post migration.Ofcom has issued guidance on how telecoms companies can fulfil their regulatory obligation to ensure that VoIP customers have continued access to the emergency services in the event of a power outage. The guidance states that at least one solution must be available for a minimum of one hour that enables access to emergency organisations in the event of a power cut. Any solution must be made available free of charge to customers who providers determine are reliant on their landline to make emergency calls during a power cut. These are minimum standards, and in practice many providers are offering solutions which exceed them.The Government has asked Ofcom to review how all communications providers are meeting the needs of their customers by fulfilling their obligations during power outages, because it falls within Ofcom’s remit to determine the terms of its General Conditions as an independent regulator.

Voice Over Internet Protocol

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, furthertothe resumption by BT of the rollout of Digital Voice, what assessment they have made of the Digital Voice rollout on small service providers.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, furtherto the resumption by BT of the rollout of Digital Voice, what assessment they have made of theconsultation which has taken place prior to resumption of the Digital Voice rollout.

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, furtherto the resumption by BT of the rollout of Digital Voice, what assessment they have made ofplans to improve mobile phone coverage in the areas without copper connection.

Viscount Camrose: The UK’s transition from the Public Switched Telecoms Network (PSTN) to IP-based telephony services (such as BT’s Digital Voice programme) is an industry-led migration. While Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) meets regularly with telecom providers to discuss their progress, we do not assess individual companies’ programmes given each provider has their own schedule and plans for the upgrade.Openreach, as the subsidiary of BT Group responsible for operating and maintaining the digital network, is working closely with other communications providers and industry bodies to collectively work through any migration challenges. In 2018, Openreach conducted a consultation towards communication providers to inform its strategy for the PSTN migration.Separately, BT’s consumer division has reformed its approach to migrating residential customers. For instance, they have introduced the Digital Voice Advisory Group, an association made up of charities and representative groups that has been advising on the needs of customers most affected by the switch. DSIT meets regularly with both Openreach and BT Consumer counterparts to monitor their progress and discuss particular issues.Customers with limited broadband connectivity will not be adversely impacted by the PSTN migration. In order to function correctly, Voice over IP requires a minimum stable connection speed of just 0.5 Mbps, and for current landline-only customers it will be possible to order a VoIP landline without purchasing an internet connection.Furthermore, the PSTN migration does not affect the universal service obligations set in the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) Order 2003 which require the designated providers (namely BT Group and KCOM) to offer telephony services throughout the UK. BT Group and KCOM will still be required to provide access to a range of telephony services.This government remains committed to extending good quality mobile coverage across the UK. The Shared Rural Network programme will increase 4G mobile coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of 2025, underpinned by licence obligations. Furthermore, through the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, we have announced a new ambition of nationwide coverage of standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030.

Department of Health and Social Care

Healthy Start Scheme

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide, in the form of a table, the number of families who they forecast will take up the Healthy Start Scheme in the current year, alongside the figures for the previous five years.

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how many families are forecast to take up the Healthy Start Scheme in the current year, and (2) how many took it upin the previous five years.

Lord Markham: We have no current plans to make a forecast of the number of families who will take up the Healthy Start scheme in the current year. Forecast data for the previous five years is not available. The following table shows the number of beneficiaries on the Healthy Start scheme in the previous five years. Month and yearNumber of beneficiaries on the schemeApril 2018320,613April 2019289,160April 2020274,521April 2021337,204April 2022315,851

Public Health

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the state of the relationship between central government and local directors of public health.

Lord Markham: The Government fully recognises and values the important role and expertise of local directors of public health (DsPH) as senior leaders, and the vital work they and their teams do to improve and protect the public’s health. DsPH appointments are made jointly by the employing local authority and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The Department maintains regular contact both with the representative body, the Associate of Directors of Public Health, and directly with individual DsPH, in particular through the Department’s Places and Regions teams. The Chief Medical Officer also has regular calls with DsPH.

Gender Identity Development Service: Suicide

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government how many young people (1) who were on the waiting list for the Gender Identity Development Service, and (2) who had already been seen by that service, died by suicide in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Lord Markham: This information is not held centrally.

Health Services: Gender

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Policy ExchangeGender identity ideology in the NHS, published on 2 January; and what steps they are taking to ensure that every hospital trust is able to guarantee same-sex accommodation and intimate same-sex care.

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any reasons why a hospital trust could not guarantee same-sex accommodation and intimate same-sex care.

Lord Markham: Under the NHS Constitution, National Health Service trusts have a responsibility to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation. It is imperative that NHS trusts respect the privacy and dignity of patients. Patients should not have to share sleeping accommodation with others of the opposite sex and should have access to segregated bathroom and toilet facilities. However, in some cases, operational pressures may lead to unjustified breaches of same-sex accommodation guidance. On the rare occasions that mixing does occur, the breach should be reported, and every effort should be made to remedy the breach immediately. NHS England is currently reviewing its guidance, Delivering same-sex accommodation, and a revised version will be published in due course. Patients can request same-sex intimate care, and it will be up to the care provider or clinician to respond based on the patient’s needs and staff availability. Due to staff availability, there may be instances when these requests cannot be immediately or easily met. The Department notes the Policy Exchange report Gender identity ideology in the NHS, and is considering whether clearer guidance is needed on the provision of same-sex staffing for patients receiving intimate care, given the importance of ensuring that patients’ privacy and dignity is respected.

Archie Battersbee

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what legal costs were associated with the submission lodged by HM Government lawyers with the United Nations Committee on Persons with Disabilities regarding Article 4 on the Optional Protocol of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in respect of the case of Archie Battersbee.

Lord Markham: Legal costs for the submission lodged with the United Nations Committee on Persons with Disabilities in respect of the Archie Battersbee case were £5,364.60.

Department for Business and Trade

Employment Tribunals Service

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Johnson of Lainston on 4 April (HL6685), how many previously unpaid Employment Tribunal awards have been recovered for claimants under the section 150 penalty regime since April 2016; and what is the total value of those awards.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of employers who have been named under the Employment Tribunal naming scheme established in December 2018.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: As stated in the answer to HL6685, data held on Employment Tribunal Penalties is derived from a live case management system used for internal purposes which has not been subject to sufficient validation that would be required for us to release this to Parliament at this time.We will consider what data we may be able to publish on this subject in the future.Linked to this, the Government is also currently reviewing at what point it is appropriate to start to use the powers that we have to name employers who do not pay relevant awards.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whatmeetings (1) ministers, and (2) senior officials, at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have had with representatives from the gambling industry in the past six months.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Ministers and officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meet a range of people and organisations with an interest in gambling, including industry and charity representatives, to hear their views on the sector and to discuss areas of concern. All ministerial meetings are published on GOV.UK and can be accessed on that website.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Furs: Trade

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) when they intend to publish a response to their consultation on the fur market in Great Britain, and (2) what discussions they have had with the fashion industry on alternatives to fur.

Lord Benyon: We are carefully reviewing the evidence gathered both from our Call for Evidence and from wider engagement with the fur trade and stakeholders, and a summary of responses will be published in due course. We have not been holding discussions with the fashion industry about their use of alternatives to fur.

Hare Coursing

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of problems caused by hare coursing.

Lord Benyon: The Government has considered evidence from a wide range of stakeholders and the police on the problems cause by hare coursing. As a result, we strengthened the law last year to bring in tougher measures to help the police stamp out illegal hare coursing.

Slurry Infrastructure Grant

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how much was paid to farmers through the Slurry Infrastructure grant in 2022.

Lord Benyon: To date no payments are due under the Slurry Infrastructure Grant. The Rural Payments Agency has been assessing approximately 1,300 expressions of interest and will be inviting those applicants in the highest priority areas to submit a full application by the deadline of 24 June 2024. Once work has been completed claims will be submitted and payments issued.

Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government what their timeline is for implementing clause 43 of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill regarding the taking of a dog without lawful authority; and what plans they have, if any, to extend that clause to apply to cats.

Lord Benyon: The addition of cats to the pet abduction offence in the Kept Animals Bill was raised at Commons Committee Stage. We are considering it carefully. The next stage of the Bill will be announced in the usual way.

Water Supply

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the supply of water and measures taken to conserve it.

Lord Benyon: Despite the dry summer of 2022, water companies in England have assured us that essential water supplies remain resilient across the country. It is their duty to maintain those supplies. Defra Ministers expect water company action in accordance with their pre-agreed drought plans. Defra recently published its Plan for Water which sets out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. The National Framework for Water Resources, published in March 2020, sets out the strategic water needs for England to 2050 and beyond. The Government is requiring water companies to plan to deliver resilience to a one in 500-year drought, that is not needing to resort to emergency measures, such as standpipes and rota cuts. Regional water resources groups and water companies are now consulting on their new Water Resources Plans. These plans will set out how each company will meet water supply needs over at least a 25-year period. In addition to their Water Resources Management Plans, water companies are using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the current Price Review period (2019-24) to progress the infrastructure required.

Electric Vehicles: Batteries

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what plans they have to create a new regulatory framework for electric vehicle battery recycling, (2) when such plans will be implemented, (3)whether they will include making "second life" mandatory, and (4) whether they will introduce (a) standardised labelling to facilitate recycling, and (b) a mandatory minimum level of recycled content.

Lord Benyon: Defra is currently reviewing the existing UK Batteries Regulations, and a consultation is scheduled for the end of 2023. The review is expected to consider a range of measures promoting the recovery, reuse or recycling of all battery chemistry types in line with the waste hierarchy. This includes those batteries found in electric vehicles. Electric vehicle batteries are no longer viable once they drop below 80% efficiency. By working with the relevant industries and Government departments, the Environment Agency is looking to produce an effective Electric Vehicle Batteries Resource Framework. The framework will look to set out end of waste criteria for electric vehicle batteries when put to second life applications or dismantled to constituent parts for recovery of metals. The main purpose to this framework is to embed the circular economy approach to end of waste for this waste stream.

Bread and Flour: Regulation

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the final result of the consultation on the Bread and Flour Regulations which concluded in November 2022.

Lord Benyon: We received 369 responses to this consultation from a range of stakeholders. We have been carefully analysing responses and expect to publish a summary of responses and government response later this summer.

Ministry of Justice

Sentencing Council for England and Wales

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bellamy on 14 April (HL7073), why they do not intend to review the composition or functions of the Sentencing Council.

Lord Bellamy: The Sentencing Council was reviewed as part of the Tailored Review Programme in 2018. The review found that the current delivery model is still the most appropriate, that the Council’s functions are still required, and that it is effective and efficient in the delivery of its responsibilities.The Ministry of Justice’s current programme for 2022-2025 is prioritised in line with the published guidance. In the context of the Department’s Public Bodies landscape, we do not assess that the Sentencing Council poses the biggest risk to delivery, nor does it pose major opportunities to deliver significant financial efficiencies. It has also not been recommended for review by the Cabinet Office. Once agreed, public bodies confirmed for review are published on GOV.UK.